CHAPTER X
CONCERNING THEIR IMAMS WHO BELONGED TO THE FOLLOWERS (al-Tabi'un)

1. UWAYS AL-QARANI

He lived in the time of the Apostle, but was prevented from seeing him,
firstly by the ecstasy which overmastered him, and secondly by duty to his
mother. The Apostle said to the Companions: "There is a man at Qaran, called
Uways, who at the Resurrection will intercede for a multitude of my people, as
many as the sheep of Rabi'a and Mudar." Then turning to 'Umar and 'Ali, he said:
"You will see him. He is a lowly man, of middle height, and hairy; on his left
side there is a white spot, as large as a dirhem, which is not from leprosy (pisti),
and he has a similar spot on the palm of his hand. When you see him, give him my
greeting, and bid him pray for my people." After the Apostle's death 'Umar came
to Makkah, and eried out in the course of a sermon: "O men of Najd, are there
any natives of Qaran amongst you?" They answered, "Yes"; where upon 'Umar sent
for them and asked them about Uways. They said: "He is a madman who dwells in
solitude and associates with no one. He does not eat what men eat, and he feels
no joy or sorrow. When others smile he weeps, and when others weep he smiles." 'Umar
said: "I wish to see him." They replied: "He lives in a desert, far from our
camels." 'Umar and 'Ali set out in quest of him. They found him praying, and
waited until he was finished. He saluted them and showed them the marks on his
side and the palm of his hand. They asked his blessing and gave him the
Apostle's greeting; and enjoined him to pray for the Muslim people. After they
had stayed with him for a while, he said: "You have taken trouble (to see me);
now return, for the Resurrection is near, when wc shall see each other without
having to say farewell. At present I am engaged in preparing for the
Resurrection." When the men of Qaran came home, they exhibited great respect for
Uways. He left his native place and came to Kufa. One day he was seen by Harim
b. Hayyan, but after that nobody saw him until the period of civil war. He
fought for 'Ali, and fell a martyr at the battle of Siffin.

It is related that he said: "Safety lies in solitude," because the heart of
the solitary is free from thought of "other", and in no circumstances does he
hope for anything from mankind. Let none imagine, however, that solitude (wahdat)
merely consists in living alone. So long as the Devil associates with a man's
heart, and sensual passion holds sway in his breast, and any thought of this
world or the next occurs to him in such a way as to make him conscious of
mankind, he is not truly in solitude; since it is all one whether he takes
pleasure in the thing itself or in the thought of it. Accordingly, the true
solitary is not disturbed by society, but he who is preoccupied seeks in vain to
acquire freedom from thought by secluding himself. In order to be cut off from
mankind one must become intimate with God, and those who have become intimate
with God are not hurt by intercourse with mankind.

2. HARIM B. HAYYAN

He went to visit Uways Qarani, but on arriving at Qaran he found that Uways
was no longer there. Deeply disappointed, he returned to Makkah, where he
learned that Uways was living at Kufa. He repaired thither, but could not
discover him for a long time. At last he set out for Basra and on the way he saw
Uways, clad in a patched frock, performing an ablution on the banks of the
Euphrates. As soon as he came up from the shore of the river and combed his
beared, Harim advanced to meet him and saluted him. Uways said: "Pcace be with
thee, O Harim b. Hayyan!" Harim cried: "How did you know that I am Harim?" Uways
answered: "My spirit knew thy spirit." He said to Harim: "Keep watch over the
heart" ('alayka bi- qalbika), i.e. "Guard thy heart from thoughts of 'other'".
This saying has two meanings: (1) "Make thy heart obedient to God by self
motification", and (2) "make thyself obedient to thy heart". These arc two sound
principles. It is the business of novices (muridan) to make their hearts
obedient to God in order to purge them from familiarity with vain desires and
passions, and sever them from unseemly thoughts, and fix them on the method of
gaining spiritual health, on the keeping of the commandments, and on
contemplation of the signs of God, so that their hearts may become the shrine of
Love. To make one's self obedient to one's heart is the business of adepts (kamilan),
whose hearts God has illumined with the light of Beauty, and delivered from ail
causes and means, and invested with the robe of proximity (qurb), and thereby
has revealed to them. His bounties and has chosen them to contemplate Him and to
be near Him: hence He has made their bodies accordant with their hearts. The
former class are masters of their hearts (sahib al-qulub), the latter are under
the dominion of their hearts (maghlub al-qulub); the former retain their
attributes (baqi 'l-sifat), the latter have lost their attributes ifani 'l-sifat).
The truth of this matter goes back to the words of God: Illa'ibadaka minhumu 'l-
mukhlasina, "except such of them as are Thy purified (chosen) servants" (Qur.
xv,40). Here some read mukhlisina instead of mukhlasina. The mukhlis (purifying
one's self) is active, and retains his attributes, but the mukhlas (purified) is
passive, and has lost his attributes. I will explain this question more fully
elsewhere. The latter class, who make their bodies accordant with their hearts,
and whose hearts abide in contemplation of God, are of higher rank than those
who by their own effort make their hearts comply with the Divine commandments.
This subject has its foundation in the principles of sobriety (,Sahw) and
intoxication (sukr), and in those of contemplation (mushahadah) and
self-mortification {mujahadah).

3. HASAN OF BASRA

His "name of honour" was Abu Ali; according to others, Abu Muhammad or Abu
Sa'id. He is held in high regard and esteem by the Sufis. He gave subtle
directions relating to the science of practical religion {'ilm-i mu'amalat). I
have read in the Anecdotes that a Bedouin came to him and asked him about
patience (sabr). Hasan replied: "Patience is of two sorts: Firstly, patience in
misfortune and affliction; and secondly, patience to refrain from the things
which God has commanded us to renounce and has forbidden us to pursue." The
Bedouin said: "Thou art an ascetic; I never saw anyone more ascetic than thou
art." "O Bedouin!" cried Hasan, "my asceticism is nothing but desire, and my
patience is nothing but lack of fortitude." The Bedouin begged him to explain
this saying, "for [said he] thou hast shaken my belief." Hasan replied: "My
patience in misfortune and my submission proclaim my fear of Hell-fire, and this
is lack of fortitude Gaza'); and my asceticism in this world is desire for the
next world, and this is the quintessence of desire. How excellent is he who
takes no thought of his own interest! so that his patience is for God's sake,
not for the saving of himself from Hell; and his asceticism is for God's sake,
not for the purpose of bringing himself into Paradise. This is the mark of true
sincerity." And it is related that he said: "Association with the wicked
produces suspicion of the good." This saying is very apt and suitable to the
people of the present age, who all disbelieve in the honoured friends of God.
The reason of their disbelief is that they associate with pretenders to Sufi'ism,
who have only its external forms; and perceiving their actions to be perfidious,
their tongues false, their ears listening to idle quatrains, their eyes
following pleasure and lust, and their hearts set on amassing unlawful or
dubious lucre, they fancy that aspirants to Sufi'ism behave in the same manner,
or that this is the doctrine of the Sufis themselves, whereas, on the contrary,
the Sufis act in obedience to God, and speak the word of God, and keep the love
of God in their hearts and the voice (sama) of God in their ears, and the beauty
of Divine contemplation in their eyes, and all their thoughts are fixed on the
gaining of holy mysteries in the place where Vision is vouchsafed to them. If
evildoers have appeared among them and have adopted their practices, the evil
must be referred to those who commit it. Anyone who associates with the wicked
members of a community docs so through his own wickedness, for he would
associate with the good if there were any good in him.

4. SA'ID B. AL-MUSAYYIB

It is said that he was a man of devout nature who made a show of hypocrisy,
not a hypocrite who pretended to be devout. This way of acting is approved in
Sufism and is held laudable by all the Shaykhs. He said: "Be content with a
little of this world while thy religion is safe, even as some are contcnt with
much thereof while their religion is lost," i.e. poverty without injury to
religion is better than riches with heedlessness. It is related that when he was
at Makkah a man came to him and said: "Tell me a lawful thing in which there is
nothing unlawful." He replied: "Praise (dhikr) of God is a lawful thing in which
there is nothing unlawful, and praise of aught else is an unlawful thing in
which there is nothing lawful," because your salvation lies in the former and
your perdition in the latter.